‘FBI’ Boss Explains [Spoiler]’s Death & Teases How It Affects Everyone
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the FBI Season 8 premiere “Takeover.”]
All summer long, FBI fans were left waiting to see if Isobel (Alana De La Garza) would live or die after collapsing — she didn’t have a pulse! — in the final moments of the Season 7 premiere. Well, the Season 8 premiere does see the team lose one of its own, but there’s a major twist.
The case of the week, a judge searching for his son, takes Maggie (Missy Peregrym) and OA (Zeeko Zaki) to an island where those in charge refuse to recognize law enforcement’s authority. The judge is dead by the time they find his son, and then Maggie and OA are held hostage. When Scola (John Boyd) and Dani (Emily Alabi) come to their aid, just as it seems to be over, Dani collapses, having been shot earlier; she thought the vest caught it. Dani dies with Scola by her side. (Peregrym was right when she told us ahead of the premiere, “We’ve got a crazy thing that happens at the end that I’m not even going to tell you about, but no one’s going to see this coming and it has nothing to do with Isobel.”)
“Her death is a reminder of the grave stakes that [the agents] face day in and day out — trying to protect people in a world that is changing fast, with new threats always lurking around the corner,” showrunner Mike Weiss tells TV Insider.
Meanwhile, Isobel’s fate is left up in the air until the end of the episode. Jubal (Jeremy Sisto) is in contact with her husband, Philip (Tom Cavanagh), throughout, with Isobel suffering a brain bleed that requires an emergency craniotomy. But she survives!
Below, Mike Weiss previews how Dani’s death will affect the team, how Scola will grieve and feel about getting a new partner, what’s ahead for Isobel, and more.
How will Dani’s death affect Scola? How are we going to see him grieve?
Mike Weiss: Losing a partner is always a tough thing. And Scola is going to be feeling the loss of Dani for a while. But Scola joined the FBI after the loss of his brother. He’s a character who finds ways to grow and honor everyone he’s lost in his daily life as an agent. It’s what makes him an extraordinary asset to the team.
How will we see Dani’s death affect Maggie and OA as well? They have to be worried about Scola, and she was their teammate, too.
Of course, Dani’s death will weigh on Maggie and OA as well. She was just falling in with our team when the worst happened. Our FBI agents are tough, but their real strength is finding each other in these moments of hardship. Maggie, OA, and Scola are all going to be closer after the events of [Episode] 801.
Because of Dani’s death, how is Scola going to feel about getting a new partner? Will we see him go back to temporary ones again? Is that where Claire Coffee comes in in Episode 2?
I won’t spoil future episodes or Claire’s upcoming role, but I can say that she is not looking to join up with the FBI anytime soon… Scola is not going to close off completely when it comes to welcoming new partners. Going back to his experience with loss, he’s a character who has learned to appreciate every small moment with friends and family. That’s the same with every new colleague and partner.
What can you preview about when Eva shows up and Scola’s dynamic with her?
Eva and Scola have a very interesting dynamic. They’re both cut from a similar cloth. Scola, as fans know, started his career in the finance world. Eva comes to the FBI after a stint as a federal prosecutor. They’re both whip-smart, quick-witted, and don’t scare easy. She’s going to keep him on his toes — and vice versa.
Bennett Raglin / CBS
Isobel’s OK! Did you ever seriously consider killing her off?
Every year, at the start of a new season, we, the writers, ask ourselves, ‘What is the current dynamic in the show? What happens if it shifts slightly?’ Isobel holds the entire team together in a lot of ways. We love Alana and her character so much, we never considered writing her off the show. However, we were excited about what it would look like to see her absent from the office, even briefly. How does the team react when they lose that center of gravity? Who steps in to fill the void? And of course, we’re thrilled to be welcoming her back to 26 Fed, when she’s ready.
How is what she went through going to affect her and her marriage? How often will we see Philip/her personal life?
Isobel is the steady heart and soul of the 26 Fed office. This near-death experience weighs on her in the background but never deters her drive to lead our FBI team and keep New Yorkers safe. It’s that quiet strength that everyone admires about her. We absolutely love Tom Cavanaugh, who plays Philip, but you’ll just have to wait and see!
How long before Isobel’s back at work?
Again, you’ll just have to watch and see!
FBI, Mondays, 9/8c, CBS
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Conversation33 Comments
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G
They need a medical person on the show. If she just had her skull open up she would not have a full head of hair. And it's not good to keep getting ride of partners for Scola.
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B
Agreed. I wrote out a story after the show eaired the season finale and even I had that detail in. But I suppose the show took creative liberties. At least she's okay. And yeah, poor Scola needs a steady partner.
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P
I thought the exact same thing about Isobel's hair! She looked pretty damn good, and was quite cognizant, for someone who supposedly just had a craniotomy!
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P
I don't have the best memory, but the "last time on...." recap seemed to show Isobel with a bullet hole in her forehead. Hair or no hair, I think it's dubious to think that not only could she survive such an injury, but also, there was no scar or wound.
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O
Well, we didn't see the back of her head. A keyhole craniotomy can be performed behind the ear (retrosigmoid) or at the base of the skull above the neck (suboccipital) to access the back of the brain. They can shave the skull in that area needed to be clear for the procedure and put the rest of her hair in a cap to prevent infection. You then have to usually move the hair later to see the surgical site. She was, however, surprisingly alert for someone who presumably had recenty come out of anesthesia. The timeline seemed a little wonky here. If it was an eight hour procedure, how long did the holding of OA and Maggie go on? It seemed relatively short and the FBI getting the ships to the island a bit longer. But, hey, it's TV, not a documentary. But, after the loaded up Dani's body into the ambulance, where was it going to go? The island hospital is closed. Seems unlikely there was an open morgue there. With the bridge out, it can't leave unless there is a car ferry no one mentioned.
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O
i was truly looking forward to the season premiere and it did not disappoint. I’m sad to see Dani go. Honestly I still miss Tiff however it will be interesting to see what comes next this season.
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P
I love the show, but trying to figure out how the ambulance got on the island after the bridge was blown up.
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P
Yes Me Too ?
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P
Haha..first thing I thought of too.
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G
I was in shock. Dani’s cans out of nowhere. A complete surprise!
Poor Scola, him and his partners don’t stand a chance!!
Hopefully they bring back someone from the other cancelled fbi shows
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C
Haley Upton from Chicago PD.
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C
Vo. FBI International
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O
I would love for Nina to be back on the show.
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C
I thought Scola looked HOT with all that Grey showing!!
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R
I think they are making room for Scola’s wife to come back, since she’s done with FBI Most Wanted department.
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P
I dont know if Neena will come back or not but I hope they stay together and they refer to her and their baby even if she isn't on the show.
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G
Yeah! I was thinking the same thing. She's good. Really hate they dropped the other two FBI shows. I so looked forward to FBI night!
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O
I thought that Nina was a very charismatic character and the actress was great.
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O
Shantel is a very good actess
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C
I really liked the premiere episode. I did have to suspend disbelief about some of it. But there were definitely twists and turns. I felt bad for the young man they rescued... once they got him, he seemed to lose all importance, and his story wasn't followed up on.
I don't think Dani was that vital a character for us (viewers). Scola had gone through a number of partners last season, and I don't think we'd seen Dani enough to get really attached. Plus, I don't get how she died; she said that the vest caught the bullet, and Scola and the SWAT members checked her out... wouldn't anyone have noticed that the bullet actually hit her? It just seemed kind of like a cheat.
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C
Love the show and the addition of Tom Cavanaugh.
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R
I absolutely HATE that they killed off Dani. I really like the actress Emily Alabi. I beginning to lose wonder if I should invest any more time with this show.
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G
Why is that the girl is the person always killed?
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P
The last agent who got killed was a man-- the one Tiffany recruited for an undercover op and he ended up getting shot.
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C
I think they canceled the wrong FBI franchise. Entire episode was ridiculous!! Isobel coming out of brain surgery with a full face of makeup, all her hair in place and not a bandage on her head! It’s supposed to be set in Manhattan yet within 10 minutes Maggie and OA were on some crazy island out where I guess was supposed to be Nassau County. Also none of the scenes look like they were in the Manhattan I grew up in.
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C
GREAT season premiere!! I am a little disgusted with the killing of Dani right off in first season episode. You writers are going to give Scola a bad outlook for partners. Still glad you didn't kill off Isobel though. What is it with all the program writers killing off characters? I like action and good shows but do not like characters getting killed off all over the channels.
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C
I think they should have more black or African Americans working for the FBI. They killed off 1 and the other young lady left voluntarily.
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P
Just finished watching the season premiere, and I was on the edge of my seat. Glad that Isobel is okay, but I’m in shock at the end. Dani getting killed was a real shocker, and on the season premiere, just devastating.
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R
Just finished watching the season premiere and was on the edge of my seat Glani getting killed was a real shocker and Dani getting killed was a real shocker and on the season premiere just devastating
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P
How did the ambulance get onto the island when the bridge had been blown up?
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C
I think the "Popular in the Community" should be updated forthwith. Some of the stuff on the board is very outdated. Please update.
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M
since FBI: Most Wanted is over, please bring Scola's girlfriend Nina back.....she is a popular character and the actress is spot on!
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O
I love Nina and the actress Shantel.
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